Bray watched the whole duel between Link and Frajde in silence, including the conversation between the two, and the silence was so long that even Bud, who had always had a lot of patience, couldn't hold back. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

"As you expected, he'll fix the barrier. ”

Occupying the apostle's body to temporarily descend into the material realm, Bray uncharacteristically did not answer, staring at a certain point in the air with a solemn expression, looking at his appearance, Bard couldn't ask even if he was full of doubts. It wasn't until the threshold of God's presence was approaching that Bray withdrew his gaze from what he didn't know what to look at.

"Bard. ”

"In. ”

"I command all of Hohenheim, including those who are not qualified to enter, that they are strictly forbidden to do anything disrespectful to Link, whether verbally or internally, and I will personally punish them. ”

Bard was shocked, the quadruple incarnation was equivalent to the quasi-gods, there was no doubt about it, but ...... Besides, the situation of the Children of Nature is different, although they have unrivaled power, they have to be careful in everything they say and do, and the slightest mistake will disqualify. What's more, unlike Bray, Link does not have this power of his own, but is only a temporary loan of the pillar, once he loses his favor......

"Do you want to be the first mage to disobey my orders?"

With a slightly childish countenance but exuding a terrifying divine might, Bard knelt down on one knee and swore that he had no intention of disobeying it, but he didn't understand why he was so jealous of Link? After all, mages were different from ordinary people, they knew the method of manipulating the elements, and they would not have much heartfelt awe for an outsider who was completely dependent on a pillar. Naturally, it was also difficult to follow Bray's orders.

"He's different. ”

It's not the same...... What does it mean?

"I'm not referring to the power and authority of the column. ”

Bard was even more confused, although he didn't despise Link as much as Claire, he didn't put him on the same level as the former great sage and now the god Bray.

"In your opinion, what do you need besides strength to get to where I am now?"

Bard couldn't answer.

The ultimate goal of all mages is to become a god like Bray. But since learning magic from elves, although there are not a few people who climb the ladder, there are very few who end up becoming gods. This has also become the biggest question that plagues the high-level mages who are in the mortal world, what do they need besides strength?

"Please show me. ”

"Hahaha...... Bray chuckled, "that's the difference between you and him." ”

Bard wondered, what had he said wrong, how could there be a difference?

"I've only met Link three times so far. When they first met, he was like a hillbilly who had just entered the big city from the mountains, and he knew nothing about the world. Goodbye, but on the other side of time, he has grown, knows his situation, and understands the responsibilities he bears. Mitsumi...... It's all over the Hall of Mirrors, and what he does may seem shocking to you, but it's in line with his usual style, and only he can do that. ”

Listening to Bray's words, Bard couldn't help but recall the ups and downs of the Hall of Mirrors yesterday, and there was only ...... Bray has such a high opinion of Link, such a casual person, really......

Realizing that he was thinking about something superfluous again, Bard quickly emptied his brain.

In the presence of the gods, no thought can be hidden, even if it is only a temporary consciousness.

"Don't you understand? You're okay with everything, but you're too conservative. If it was Claire, she might have understood what I meant, but she was too extreme to admit it. ”

"What do you mean...... What is there in Link that I or we lack, the key thing?" Bard clearly understood that Bray was trying to convey a certain meaning, but there was a law that was invisibly omnipresent in surveillance, and the more powerful he was, the more he couldn't do what he wanted.

Bray nodded.

Bud choked for breath.

Even a mage who has mastered the law of the world and the power of the elements will not know much more about the gods than mortals. The descent of the ladder is a sign of qualification, as for the after...... How does he know that he has never been up, and he has gone up and down......

Thinking of this, Budd's face suddenly changed.

The prejudice against the otherworldly, the arrogance of being a mage, and the suspicion and unknown made him and others forget the well-known fact that Link and Bray before the canonization were quasi-gods, and no matter how unwilling they were to admit it, it was a fact. And after Bray was qualified, he was picked up by the former goddess of magic and never came down again. If Link is really a quasi-god, then he must have gone up the ladder of heaven!

Thinking of this, Bud's face suddenly turned white.

Link has gone up the ladder! When will he be able to come down!

"I'm also weird, so, when he reversed time and space and went back to meet me, I saw some ...... through the memories he took the initiative to deliver Very interesting clip. That's right, he did go up. ”

"What!" Bard lost his voice, Link had arrived at Edgar after Bray had been made a god, why......

"The so-called ladder of heaven is nothing but the path to the space where the gods live, and it is named because it appears to fall from the sky. On the way up, the Divine Sealer will abandon his physical body and become a pure spiritual body. This is also the greatest test of the gods, those who are not strong enough will lose themselves and become wrecks or remnants in the floating void. Lorelei was eroded by the joint cause and effect of the pillar of water, and she wanted to absorb the power of the believers to alleviate it, and the power of mortal faith was only a drop in the bucket compared to the dark energy that even the pillar could corrode, even if she continued to devour the mages who already had the ability to seal the gods, she still fell. It was precisely because I noticed Lorelai's strangeness that I survived by staying halfway and not continuing to advance towards the kingdom of God. ”

Bray's account is an inside story that Bard never knew. It turns out that the ladder is not a real ladder, but a vague passageway, guided by a higher level of deity, or enlightened by itself. Having qualifications does not mean that you can become gods, and whether those who are chosen will succeed in the end depends on their own will. The road to the kingdom of God is not an easy one, and the loser will lure the other chosen ones, and only by overcoming many tests can he become a god.

"Fate is invisible and intangible, it is like a big tree, divided into different branches, and like a spider's web, which finally ends at a point after many branches. ”

Bard opened his mouth, wondering if he should show that he didn't understand the cryptic metaphor.

Bray stretched out his hand and drew a few strokes in the void, and the faint fluorescence took on a simple figure divided into several forks. He clicked on the center one, and the thin line was immediately marked with a glowing ball of light.

"This is Link as you and I know. Then, he clicked again at a fork in the back: "This is the timeline that he was sent to the past by the dawn in the method of time and space." ”

Bard's eyes lit up, and he didn't seem to understand.

Bray paused at the beginning of the branch-like branch, "This is Link before I was summoned to Edgar, and my real first encounter with him was actually here. Yes, you heard it right. In the timeline I don't know, Link has entered the imitation Edgar created by the exiled second generation of gods in his own world, which is a space exactly like the real Edgar, not only the environment, but even the life is projected by the second generation according to memory, where Link has climbed the ladder. ”

"This can't be!" After shouting, Bard realized his gaffe and hurriedly lowered his head, but the trembling facial muscles still revealed his unsettled heart.

"So, back to the beginning, what do you think a god needs besides power? The answer couldn't be simpler, will. ”

"Will?" is that simple? Bard couldn't believe his ears, how many people couldn't ask for an answer that was so simple?

"Isn't becoming a god also the embodiment of will? in order to gain more power, for the immortality of the individual, for domination...... The reasons are strange, and those who want to become gods are driven to advance towards the kingdom of God despite many obstacles. However, he didn't. ”

The 'he' here doesn't need to be deliberately explained, and Bard understands that Bray is referring to Link.

Even if he had obtained a body shaped by divine power, it still could not change the fact that Link was a human. Becoming a god is probably the most difficult of all human desires, and it is stronger than power, food, and sex. The otherworldly people have already gone up, but they haven't thought about it...... How can it be?!

"The reason is unknown, but he did go up and give me the source of pure magic obtained from the uneroded pillar of water. Although the Great Sage in the illusion is only a projection of memory, the power of the Pillar of Water he has obtained is real. After being summoned to the real Edgar, he conveyed this power to me, in ways he didn't even know about. ”

"What do you mean...... When you were sent back by Dawn?"

Bray nodded: "We all know that he has the power of four incarnations, but the pillar of water has been corroded thousands of years ago, and others must not understand how his water power was obtained, and the answer is hidden in the projection that he calls an illusion." The night corresponding to the dawn was the first generation to be banished, and in order to save Edgar, who was destroyed by the rebellion of the gods, she used her time power, and the results speak for themselves. After being banished to the Void, she combines with the other exiled second generations to create a fantasy in Link's world that only exists in dreams. There, she was not bound by the law, and after countless failures, a qualified chosen one succeeded. ”

"But...... It is an illusory world after all, and even if it is a projection of memory, it is only based on assumptions. Bard questioned, "Even if the power was real, Link was just a mortal at that time, and his mind and ability were far inferior to what he is now. ”

With approval in Bray's eyes, Bard finally understood what he was trying to say.

"Through his memories, I also understood why Zhu chose him as a child of nature, and why he was given so much authority. O Bard, mortals are the most gods of all species, not how strong we are, it is precisely because we are weak that the strong-willed can support themselves with their own beliefs and survive the storm that destroys the soul. Those creatures who are born powerful are rarely gods, and it is precisely because of this. Link didn't want to be a king, he didn't want to be a hegemon, he didn't want to be a god, his wish turned out to be to live in a place different from his own world, to get rid of the boring reality of day after day. And the moment he entered Edgar, his wish was granted, and as long as he stayed in this world, he could be fulfilled, a truth that even he was not aware of. ”

Bard was dumbfounded, but just ...... Such?

"Link is not without desire, the pillar has fulfilled his desire, and all his actions after that are just to give back to the pillar's expectations. ”

It's as simple as that? This ...... This is incredible, isn't it? Bud, who was dazed, remembered that this was not top secret? Why did Bray tell himself all in one go. When I came back to my senses, I realized that I was no longer in the forbidden book area of Hohenheim, but in the mental space of Bray. No wonder the threshold of God's presence has passed, and he still talks so much about it. But...... Why did he tell me?

Bard put a big question mark in his mind?

"Because you're qualified, but I don't want you to be a second Claire, deceived by illusions, blinded by the desire to become a god. In his own mental space, Bray showed his true self.

"The reason why I want to use Link as a comparison is because he is sober enough to know the position of humanity itself, and he also knows his limits, and it is his self-knowledge, and his attitude of not overly respecting the gods, that has delegated the supreme authority of Pillar to repair the enchantment. As Bray slowly floated into the air, a translucent staircase appeared beneath him.

Bard's mind went blank.

The ladder of heaven! The ladder that many people can't ask for! Bray gave him a way to become a god as a believer......

Along with the excitement and ecstasy came the fear of learning the truth.

"I can tell you unambiguously that Claire's trial failed. ”

When?, Bard shudder's back chilled, and he began to think back to when he had never seen Claire, a fellow sage, after Link had been allowed to enter the forbidden section, or after his disciple Frannie had fallen, or had it ...... After the whereabouts of the Child of Nature were reported from Nanyanzhou?

"As early as after I robbed her of her sagehood, she came to me angrily and asked why she was so partial to an alien who knew nothing but the power of the pillars? ”

"Then she ......" In fact, the answer was obvious, and Bard just couldn't help but ask.

"How can a fool who has only power and power in his eyes have a strong will, and he has not gone far before he is confused by the illusion of the loser and joins them. ”

"Then you ...... now"

"It's not showing, but you're not much different from Claire, and your dangerous mentality is a hidden danger to Link, to yourself, and to Edgar. You are the only qualified mage left in Hohenheim, it would be a pity to kill you directly, so I will give you another way to go, go, isn't that the ladder of your heart, pass, you are a god. ”